One German teaches another about Augusta National

With Kaymer making his first Masters Tournament appearance today, he planned to learn the back nine from two-time champion Langer.

"To me, he's very important because he did a lot of good things for German golf," Kaymer said. "It's just a special atmosphere."

But on the No. 10 tee, Langer asked Kaymer if he wanted to play with legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. The response was quick.

"Oh yeah, please," Kaymer said.

So Kaymer played the back nine with Langer, Nicklaus and Player, a group with 11 green jackets.

"I was a little nervous on the 10th," Kaymer said. "But when they talked to me and asked me how I got here I was calm."

The eagle almost landed

Kaymer and Langer each almost holed their approach shots on the par-4 18th hole. Langer flew his approach to the middle of the green, his ball spun just past the pin in the front and settled a few feet away. Kaymer then hit a high draw that spun off the right mound toward the middle of the green and back toward the hole, missing an eagle by inches.

"I couldn't see it from down there," Kaymer said.

Young at heart

The ageless Player said he has to make a "massive" increase in his workouts to keep playing competitively. He said he now needs to do his daily routine of 1,200 sit-ups with an 80-pound weight.

The 72-year-old Player continues to travel the world for golf course design, real estate and various tournaments. His exercise pattern keeps him young, he said, younger than men less than half his age.

"I'm not as strong as they are and I cannot generate the clubhead speed they get," the 144-pound Player said, "but in a fitness contest I can beat 80 percent of the world's 30-year-olds. But they don't give you any bonus for that."

Still going strong

Before the start of the Par-3 Contest, 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody waited for the arrival of twin 8-year-old grandsons Pierceson and Parker.

"They get their little overalls and their caps and their shoes," said Coody, who went on to ace the third hole on the Par-3 Course.

"I give each one of them about three clubs. I carry the putter."

Coody, one of 10 past champions not participating in the regular tournament, is a busy man this week. He arrived this past weekend and participated Tuesday in the annual Champions Dinner. He had a chairman's lawn party to attend Wednesday night to go with additional dinners tonight and Saturday night.

"It's a week we look forward to," Coody said. "We'll come back as long as we can."

Stylin' and profilin'

One of the most stylish practice pairings Wednesday featured Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia and Camilo Villegas. One fan, a male, described it as the "Heartthrob pairing."

Pressure-packed pairing

Ben Curtis and Shaun Micheel are paired together today in the first group. That's probably not by coincidence.

Curtis and Micheel, who go off at 8 a.m., each won major tournaments in 2003 - Curtis claimed the British Open title; Micheel later won the PGA Championship. Each player is in the last year of their respective five-year exemption and that's their lone qualification for this year's event. They can qualify for the 2009 Masters by finishing in the top 16 this week.

Picking his spots

Richard Green didn't see his eagle at No. 9 during a practice round Wednesday. He didn't have to.

He only needed to hear it.

"The crowd reacted in a way, it couldn't be anywhere else," Green said. "I looked away. I looked down at my divot when everybody went crazy. I didn't expect that at all."

Green, an Australian participating in his first Masters today, gave the gallery something to cheer about as the late morning heated up. He used a 4-iron for his second shot at the par-4, 460-yard hole and measured the distance at 187 yards - to the landing spot. The ball rolled another 15 yards or so into the cup.

"I was really just trying to get it somewhere on the green," the 37-year-old Green said. "I played it like I normally play it in a tournament round. I picked a spot where I wanted to land the ball. I was probably a couple of yards away from that spot."

While it was exciting for observers, the left-handed Green said he gains "a bit of confidence" from the experience. He has played the course six times in his life, all after arriving a week ago, and has been comparing notes with the locals as well as the pros.

"It's kind of encouraging to know that six holes out of the nine that I played (Wednesday), I hit the shot right where I wanted to," Green said. "I'm picking the right spots to hit it close to the hole."

Up close

Augusta's Vaughn Taylor got an up-close glimpse of the Big Three - Nicklaus, Player and Arnold Palmer - in the Par-3 Contest. Taylor played in the threesome directly behind them.

"That was awesome," he said. "You don't get to see those three together that many times any more. It's pretty special. Everybody loves them."

Growing up

Fifteen-month-old Will Johnson, Zach Johnson's son, was spotted in front of the clubhouse with a putter in hand. On a pair of occasions, he dropped the putter and headed for the adjacent golf cart.

Morris News Service writer Nathan Dominitz contributed to this article.